Sneaky Pete's...

Zims Rack

Zims Rack

Promoting the Cueing Arts
Silver Member
What exactly makes up a Sneaky Pete cue?

I was under the impression that the "house cue" look alikes were sneaky petes or hustler cues. I've seen many cuemakers put elaborate rings on/near the butt cap, fancy spear head or inlayed material at the tips of the points. Are these still a sneaky pete or are they more like a wrapless cue?
Is this something that other's have asked themselves. I have customers who ask for a sneaky pete and I suggest the Dufferin Phantom, which is to me the best sneaky pete or hustler cue on the market!

Zim
 

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The semantic inconsistency is certainly there, but I think it's a moot point these days. Most people are onto the sawed-in-half house cue with high-grade shaft. If I needed a stealth cue, I'd talk to a custom cuemaker about hopping up something like a Player cue.
 
Isn't that the point of a Hustler/Sneaky Pete cue, to look just like a house cue? What other better way than to use what actually is a house cue, but but with a joint and a better taper, ferrule and tip? I know many players who shoot with a Dufferin cue just like this one!

Zim
 
You're right. It depends on how you approach it. For the way I'd go about it, walking in with a modified low-end production cue would work best -- for me.

The sneaky pete Bob Dzuricky is making for me won't be fooling many people -- not with the mammoth diamonds and the trim ring. :cool:
 
Do you think a player is judged more by his cue or his case? The case is the first thing other players see.
 
Were i'm from you can't tell who a player and who's not.If you came in the room with a case then your a mark,But if u came in with a cue q in your hand .Then u might be a champ.But i'll still try them some..

if you don't shot at it you'll never know...


Deadstroke32...:rolleyes:
 
Sneaky Petes do not really exist anymore.
Well, not the old way to make them anyway.
A cut-down house cue is the poor man's version of the overrated full-splice cues now.
Now, if you really want a sneaky pete, get one of those Marlboro, Pam Anderson or Budweiser cues. Have a good cuemaker sleeve the cue with rock maple, change the handle with a quality rock maple, change the pin and insert, re-collar the butt and the shaft, replace the ferrule with Ivor-X or any quality ferrule and replace the tip. And of course get a shaft made but dye it yellow. :D
You walk into any poolhall with that crappy looking cue, you won't get any respect.:p
 
Joseph Cues said:
Sneaky Petes do not really exist anymore.
Well, not the old way to make them anyway.
A cut-down house cue is the poor man's version of the overrated full-splice cues now.
Now, if you really want a sneaky pete, get one of those Marlboro, Pam Anderson or Budweiser cues. Have a good cuemaker sleeve the cue with rock maple, change the handle with a quality rock maple, change the pin and insert, re-collar the butt and the shaft, replace the ferrule with Ivor-X or any quality ferrule and replace the tip. And of course get a shaft made but dye it yellow. :D
You walk into any poolhall with that crappy looking cue, you won't get any respect.:p
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That's the way I'd go. I wouldn't go with a cue with a beer logo or anything like that, because it wouldn't go with my personality (something a perceptive person would notice). I'd get a cheap imitation of a nice cue, something like a BW cue, then have it modified like you suggest.

I'm sure there are still plenty of situations in which something like a Dufferin Phanton would do the job.
 
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I guess I didn't make the question clear enough, but I see what you are all saying. What I was trying to find out is this...
If I were to contact a current cue maker and say I would like a sneaky pete with ebony and maple, 13mm tipwith a pro taper, what is he going to say? Do you want a black/white linen wrap or an ebony wrapless handle? and how many points do you want?
To me a sneaky pete looks (not necessarily plays or used to "Hustle" people) like the Dufferin Phantom. To me it just seems like there are so many cue designs out there that are being called a sneaky pete. Thats what I was trying to say!!!

Zim
 
Zims Rack said:
I guess I didn't make the question clear enough, but I see what you are all saying. What I was trying to find out is this...
If I were to contact a current cue maker and say I would like a sneaky pete with ebony and maple, 13mm tipwith a pro taper, what is he going to say? Do you want a black/white linen wrap or an ebony wrapless handle? and how many points do you want?
To me a sneaky pete looks (not necessarily plays or used to "Hustle" people) like the Dufferin Phantom. To me it just seems like there are so many cue designs out there that are being called a sneaky pete. Thats what I was trying to say!!!

Zim
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Most cuemakers refer to cut-down house cues as Sneaky Petes.
Ebony, cocobola and other woods are available too.
They are all 4-point variety to me.
Some cuemaker actually use real 4-point full splice blanks to turn into sneaky petes; not using house cues necessarily.
I don't know of any cuemaker who makes more than 4-pointed sneakies.
I know guys like Josey inlay them. Which really defeats the purpose of sneakies but who cares? Sneaky Petes aren't used to hustle anymore.
Most buy them b/c they are cheaper and hit decent.
 
Funny you should mention Josey Cues, that's the reason I started this thread! I seen his "sneaky petes", but they are (to me) more like a wrapless cue. They look pretty sharp, wouldn't mind if I had one!

Zim
 
Zims Rack said:
Funny you should mention Josey Cues, that's the reason I started this thread! I seen his "sneaky petes", but they are (to me) more like a wrapless cue. They look pretty sharp, wouldn't mind if I had one!

Zim
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I saw those at the convention.
They do look nice but I am really past the pretty cues phase.
It can be argued sneakies hit better than regular 3-piece sectional cues. But, I don't like their balance.
 
Zims Rack said:
I guess I didn't make the question clear enough, but I see what you are all saying. What I was trying to find out is this...
If I were to contact a current cue maker and say I would like a sneaky pete with ebony and maple, 13mm tipwith a pro taper, what is he going to say? Do you want a black/white linen wrap or an ebony wrapless handle? and how many points do you want?
To me a sneaky pete looks (not necessarily plays or used to "Hustle" people) like the Dufferin Phantom. To me it just seems like there are so many cue designs out there that are being called a sneaky pete. Thats what I was trying to say!!!

Zim
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OK, we're on the same page now. As Joseph Cues said, there are cuemakers who will make a traditionally-styled sneaky pete without any bells or whistles. I suppose high-end cuemakers don't bother with sneaky petes for two reasons. First, they might not be satisfied with the way sneaky petes play. Second, it isn't practical for them to be flooded with orders for $200 sneaky petes when they could be building $3,000 exotics.
 
I've often thought it would be nice to have one of those rinky-dink multiple peice cues, you know the ones that have about 5 peices and they're all in a small case, made custom so it would have as good a hit as possible given the obvious design problems. These sticks usually look hideous with that round ball at the end of the butt but the people that have them generally tend to treat these cues as if they are a real treasure. You walk into a pool hall with one of those and the attitude to match and the C players will be tripping over one another trying to get to you first. That would be one heck of a sneaky pete especially if you could make it look authentic and give it a halfway decent hit.

As to your question about what cuemakers would say if you asked for a sneaky pete, I'm not a cue maker but I would think they would first think, "Why is this person wanting me to make a sneaky pete?" when you can just have a cuemaker take a house cue you like and cut it and put a joint stud in. Like you, I have seen some cues made by cuemakers calling them sneaky petes but looking much better than what I would consider a sneaky pete to look like and I don't understand that either.
 
Zims Rack said:
Isn't that the point of a Hustler/Sneaky Pete cue, to look just like a house cue? What other better way than to use what actually is a house cue, but but with a joint and a better taper, ferrule and tip? I know many players who shoot with a Dufferin cue just like this one!

Zim
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I got my predator sneaky pete because it was their cheapest cue rather than for nobody to know it was a 'real cue'. It is kind of a pain on league night. House cues laying against the chairs and I have to really watch it because once someone picked up mine by accident, thinking it was a house cue, and we found it on the rack.

So now I plan to get a cue that does not look like a sneaky pete.

Laura
 
Maybe I am nieve but I don't pay much attemtion to a players cue when I am assesing his game. ""unless it is a real dog like the Bud cue or something like that. To me Sneaky Pete has evolved to mean the low end (price wise) of many good brands of cues. They are less expensive because the price is for function not apperance. Plus it is the best hitting cue I could get for the money I wanted to spend. I play with my Joss sneaky pete and do not use a much more expensive and better looking Joss in the case. I just like the way it hits better.

But, I am far from a hustler
 
I think the term sneaky pete has evolved to mean a certain style rather than an inconspicuous or stealthy cue. Consisting of a few basic design features, such as no wrap, wood-to-wood joint, and four points like most house cues.

Rick
 
Joseph Cues said:
Sneaky Petes do not really exist anymore.
Well, not the old way to make them anyway.
A cut-down house cue is the poor man's version of the overrated full-splice cues now.
Now, if you really want a sneaky pete, get one of those Marlboro, Pam Anderson or Budweiser cues. Have a good cuemaker sleeve the cue with rock maple, change the handle with a quality rock maple, change the pin and insert, re-collar the butt and the shaft, replace the ferrule with Ivor-X or any quality ferrule and replace the tip. And of course get a shaft made but dye it yellow. :D
You walk into any poolhall with that crappy looking cue, you won't get any respect.:p
Click to expand...





Firber had a"custom budweiser" cue made and it looked like the real $10 cue...........But it played great!!!!!!!!

Man that dude can hustle!
 
In your opinions, who makes the best (traditional) Sneaky Pete? I'm looking at carrying (selling) a custom sneaky pete, not to exceed $300 each.
Any suggestions?

Zim
 
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